Kevin D. Bland, Esq.

Mr. Bland is presenting Workshop T5, "Best Practices for Eliminating Crane Losses," on Tuesday afternoon. He is a founding partner of Granado Bland, APC, a law firm conveniently located in Irvine, California. Granado Bland provides a wealth of services particularly focusing on the construction industry. Mr. Bland holds a Contractor’s “A” License and his practice focuses primarily on construction safety, construction risk management, construction litigation, and construction contract claims as well as Cal/OSHA citation appeals. His expertise also includes construction safety, regulatory rule-making, and workers comp serious and willful defense. He counsels and represents trade contractors, crane and rigging contractors, trade associations, construction contractors, and material suppliers.

Mr. Bland brings nearly 2 decades of construction experience to serve his clients’ needs. He began his construction career as an iron worker in Los Angeles, California, where he worked as an erection foreman on high-rise buildings. Mr. Bland has also served as vice president of a corporation that was accredited by United States and California Departments of Occupational Safety and Health Administration to perform testing of construction crane equipment and other material handling devices. As an expert consultant, he has advised general contractors, offshore oil platform operators, and crane and rigging contractors regarding construction planning, safety, and crane operation practices.

Mr. Bland has participated in rule-making advisory committees for divisions and served as a consultant to the Crane Unit in the development of load testing procedures for mobile cranes. He was instrumental in the development of the "Snyder Langston Mobile Crane Safety Manual Policies and Procedures" that won the International Risk Management Institute best practice award for loss control, risk financing, risk transfer, and risk analysis in 1999.

Mr. Bland’s professional activities include: General Counsel—California Framing Contractors Assn.; General Counsel—CALPASC OCIE Chapter—California; Associated General Contractors; Engineering Contractors Association; Southern California Contractors Association; Colorado Trial Lawyers Association; and the Construction Law Committees for the Colorado, Denver, and American Bar Associations.

He has served on the following committees: consultant to California Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration crane unit committee to review and establish new Cal/OSHA Title 8 cranes safety regulations for proofload testing procedures (1995); Advisory Committee, Member—Steel Erection Safety Regulations; Cal/OSHA Subcommittee, Chair—Controlled Decking Zone regulatory action; and CAL/OSHA Advisory Committee, Member—Residential Framing Fall Protection Safety Regulations, Residential Roofers Fall Protection Safety Regulations, Guard Rails and Roof Access Safety Regulations, Representative on Directors Advisory, Heat Illness Safety Regulations, Construction Personnel Hoists, Penalty Structures, Multi-Employer Affirmative Defense, Industrial Lift Truck Seatbelts, Tower Crane CCO Category Designation, and Pneumatic Nailers.

His publications include: “OSHA’s Got New Steel Erection Safety Regulations,” On Site, a publication of Colorado; and “Are you Ready,” article regarding new fall protection standards, Fall—CFCA News, 2004. He has been a keynote speaker at AGC of America’s National Safety Awards Breakfast Conference and a guest speaker at the following: 22nd IRMI Construction Risk Conference, AGC of California Safety Council, American Society of Safety Engineers, ECA Annual Training Seminar, PASMA—Professional Development Seminar, NIOSH—F.A.C.E. program, California Professional Assoc. of Specialty Contractors, Federal OSHA and Cal/OSHA Construction Safety, and various offshore platforms—Amer. Petroleum Institute Crane Standards for Offshore Operations.

Mr. Bland earned a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Whittier Law School in May 2000 and a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, from the University of Phoenix in 1997. He was named AGC of California, Associate of the Year, for contribution to industry safety and was named to Strathmore’s Who’s Who.